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Our Oil Addiction

We are addicted to oil,and as with most addicts we are in denial. We know in our heads the terrible side effects–the pollution, the costs, the dangers of getting it, shipping it and dealing with some despicable “friends” to secure it. Yet, when we need that fix we fight any thing that might move us away from our dependence.

We know that we can’t cold turkey give up oil. It does keep us going and provides the world with energy like some black and viscous meth. We now know that the term failsafe is oxymoronic and just moronic. There will be accidents. As Americans we just don’t want these accidents here. They should be in the Third World where they belong.

What makes a sensible discussion of oil policy difficult–okay, impossible–is that it should be nuanced and we don’t do nuance very well. We prefer sound bites and fear sounding like Hamlet meeting Tevye–To drill or not to drill? But on the other hand.

We cannot stop drilling–neither on land nor in the sea. We cannot stop participating in the world’s oil market and dealing with some pretty difficult characters–from Hugo Chavez to our, uh, friends in Saudi Arabia. Nor can we just say, “Damn the leaks and full speed ahead.”

We need to do several things at the same time. We need to be serious about developing alternate forms of energy–from wind to tidal, to geothermal, to yes possibly nuclear. We need a Manhattan Project to work on energy storage. The sun, the dams, the winds provide lots of energy, but it needs to be used as they are produced. We can live with 20th century energy production if we can create 21st century batteries. But while we are doing this we have to create escrow accounts to deal with disasters–whether from oil, dams or nuclear. We need to be both thoughtful and nuanced while resisting the influence of already existing energy sources that are furiously trying to protect their turf and profits.